Chapter 70 - Gimme Shelter

MONDAY

Danny yawned widely as he shuffled into the kitchen. The rich aroma of freshly-brewed coffee wafted across the room, stirring his senses, pulling him a little further from the fog of sleep.

Scratching his bare chest, he wandered around the island and pulled a mug from the tree beside the coffee maker. He poured a steaming cup from the carafe and raised it to his lips. He took a sip then cursed as the hot liquid burned his mouth. Then he sighed. Another Monday.

Danny peered out the window over the kitchen sink, looking at the blue-gray sky that was tinged with the faintest hues of pink and orange. Then he did a double-take when he noticed the familiar dark-blue Mustang parked in the drive. Furrowing his brow, Danny looked away from the window, toward the living room. That must mean Cate is…

Danny turned and padded across the kitchen and past the small dinette set. He moved up to the back of the couch and looked over, expecting to see Cate curled on the cushions under his favorite blanket. When he saw that the sofa was empty, he frowned. He turned and walked down the short hallway to the guest bedroom. Opening the door, he saw that the bed was still made. What the fuck?

Danny felt a little twinge of worry. It wasn’t unusual for Cate to use her key to slip into the house and stay overnight when she felt like it. But she always slept on the couch, or once in a blue moon, in the guest room.

Danny glanced to the small bathroom across the hall from the guest room and saw that the door was open and the room was dark. Where the Hell is she?

Now fully awake, Danny strode back down the hall and across the living room. As he passed through the spacious room, he glanced at the door leading out onto the ocean-facing deck. He breathed a little sigh of relief when he saw the top of a tousled red head protruding from one of the big wicker armchairs.

Danny chuckled and moved to the door, pulling it open and stepping out onto the deck. He shivered as the cool, damp morning air brushed over his skin, reminding him he was clad only in the gray knit shorts he usually slept in.

“Slick, what are you doin’ out here?” he asked, approaching her from behind. His eyes narrowed as he saw her left hand reach over and flick the ash from a cigarette into an ashtray on the small table beside the chair. “And what the fuck are you doing, smoking? You quit.”

Danny walked around the chair to face his friend. His gut wrenched when he saw her. She was curled into the chair, wrapped in a light blanket to protect her from the early-morning chill of the beach. Dark circles hovered under her red-rimmed eyes.

Cate looked up at Danny, and the forlorn expression on her face nearly broke his heart. Immediately his anger swelled, his instinct to protect her kicking in. “What the Hell happened?” he demanded. There could be only one explanation. “What did that fucking Rock Star do to you?” Danny growled.

Cate gave a sad little chuckle at Danny’s fierce response to her pitiful appearance. Easy, Big Brother, she thought. I’m the one who fucked up this time. She sighed. “Nothing, Danny. Jon didn’t do anything wrong.” She felt more tears spring to her eyes as the words passed her lips. “He was nothing short of wonderful,” she continued hoarsely, her voice wavering.

Danny squatted in front of Cate’s chair and took the cigarette from her hand. “Cate, tell me what happened.” He took a drag on the cigarette, then ground it out in the ashtray. He saw that there were three other butts there. “How long have you been out here? And why didn’t you come inside?” He gentled his voice, seeing her tears.

“Didn’t wanna wake you,” Cate mumbled, staring past Danny, out to the ocean. She sat silent a long moment, blinking away the tears. Danny watched her, knowing not to press.

Cate’s mind moved back over the events of the past hour. She had escaped from Jon’s villa without making a fool of herself, for which she was thankful. But then she didn’t know what to do. Cate had driven aimlessly around the island for awhile, then finally stopped at a convenience store for coffee and cigarettes. She didn’t know where to go. She just knew she didn’t want to go home, for whatever reason.

Jon had called her Blackberry four times; each time Cate ignored the call and let it kick over to voicemail. Finally she realized he was worried, so she sent him a brief text that she was home and getting ready to go to work. She hoped that would placate him. But she had no idea what she was going to say to Jon when she saw him in just a few hours.

Cate swiped the back of her hand across her eyes, then looked back at Danny. “I really fucked up, Danny. I knew better. But I did it anyway,” she said softly, shaking her head at her stupidity.

Danny raised an eyebrow. “Cate, what are you talking about? Didn’t you spend the weekend with Jon? When you didn’t call or text me I assumed you were with him, having the time of your life.”

Cate let out a strangled little laugh. “Yeah, well, you’re right. I did have the time of my life. Right up to the point where I woke up in a cold sweat in his bed an hour ago, realizing that I’m completely fucked.” She gave Danny a wry little smile as he tried not to grin at her choice of words. “And not in a good way, ” she added.

More tears came to her eyes as she felt her heart lurch. She looked down at her arms, clutching the blanket around her.

“Hey, hey, hey…” Danny reached up and wiped a tear from Cate’s cheek as she gave a little sob. “Slick… forgive me for being a stupid fucking Neanderthal, but what the Hell are you talking about? Did you sleep with Jon or not?”

Cate nodded, not looking up.

Danny’s brow furrowed. “And it was… bad? He didn’t live up to your expectations?” Shit, I didn’t think about that… Danny tried to fight back the urge to grin, but the corners of his mouth twisted up ever so slightly. “Couldn’t he…close the deal?” Danny asked.

Cate looked up at Danny, smiling slightly though her tears at the smirk in Danny’s voice. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the look on her friend’s face as he tried in vain to remain serious and empathetic. “No, Danny, it was nothing like that. He was… incredible. It was incredible.” She colored slightly and looked back to the ocean, then sighed. “Most amazing sex I’ve ever had.”

“Gee, Thanks,” Danny teased gently, again evoking a little smile from Cate. He tilted his head slightly and looked at her. “So, the problem is…. ?”

Cate felt a lump rise in her throat. “The problem is I have to let him go,” she whispered. “And that would have been so much easier if I hadn’t…” Kissed him, held him, felt him on me, inside me, wrapped around me, allowed him into my heart, into my soul… “… made love with him,” she finished.

Danny pulled in a deep breath. He knew Cate felt something for Jon; she had admitted as much to him last week. And he had seen the chemistry between them. But he was taken aback by her choice of words.

In all the years he had known her, in all the boozy, blunt, smutty confessions and the sober, heartfelt, and honest conversations they had shared about sex and love, he had never once heard Cate use the phrase “make love.” She had once told him that sex and love were two very different things, and they should never be mentioned in the same breath. To hear her utter the phrase shook Danny to his core. Holy Shit, he thought. This is new territory.

Danny sat silent, for once not knowing what to say. Finally he stood and reached forward to grasp Cate’s arm. “C’mon,” he said, tugging gently. “Get in the shower and I’ll fix us some breakfast. You have your "go bag" in your car, right?”

Cate nodded and rose from the chair, shrugging off the blanket.

Danny put his arms around her and gave her a big hug. “Slick, it will all be okay. I promise,” he said softly, pressing a kiss against her temple. “I know you’re freaked out right now, but it will be fine.” God, I hope, he added silently to himself.